The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-12-27

long siding, with a switch at either end.
No. 8 had the right of way at night, and in
stead of side-tracking her, ! proposed TO
switch Off the runaway. went down over
the ties as fast as / could run, and just as l
reached the switch heard No blow for
my station. While / was unlocking the
switch the engineer called for brakes, and
then knew he had seen the light and
would stop. Ipulled the bar over and then
picked up my lantern and ran back, reach
ing the station Just as the heavy freight
was coming to standstill. My purpose
was to run down and open the
other switch, and thus let the
runaway out on the main track
again, to run until her steam went down,
but had scarcely moved hundred feet
when heard her coming. II was then too
late, and l stood on the platform to see her
go past. She was truly runaway. She
bad broken away from the accommodation
train, which came no further up than c.,
and was coming up with a full head OF
steam and everything roaring. There was
gross carele sness bringing about this
accident but it was covered mp and kept
out of print. We could hear the runaway
a mile off, and we could locate her as she
came through the woods by the shower OF
sparks fl wing from her smokestack. On she
came, and as she struck the switch it seemed
as if she must go over. There was chckety-
clash and a bang, and she righted and
whizzed past us Xix fiery arrow.
''We knew what would happen at the
other end of the siding. There was a field
beyond and when the runaway left the rails
she tore up a hundred feet of track, made
splinters of a score Of ties and plowed her
way into the field for quarter of a mile
and flew up Had she encountered No. on
the main track there must have been ter
rible smash-up At the speed she was going
the run way would have climbed right on
top of the train. After the explosion | en-
tered the station and called for k to give
him the news, but he could not be raised. |
could not get him until the usual hour next
morning, and then | learned something
which made my hair stand ON end. He had
not heard word of the matter. He was
not in his office when the accommodation
passed, and he had heard nothing from
G., the statian above where the engine
broke away. / then called for the agent at
G., and it turned out that at
O'Clock on the afternoon previous he
had met with an accident by which
he had been made delirious all night. When
they went for him to telegraph alb ut the
engine he was in bed, and being held there
by nurses, and they did not even try to
make him understand what had happened
AS a matter of fact and record, no living
band clicked that message to me. Every
man on the line was examined, but all de-
MED it. ! heard it, and understood it. and
acted upon it, and it came from K
How do | explain it! ! never could. /
have had people tell me that it was mind
telegraphing TO mind, but you can take any
theory YOU wish. | was called for in the
usual way, understood fully what was being
said, and hurried out TO do what | have de-
scribed. The matter has been puzzle and
a mystery for years, and | have no hopes of
solution.
slow did lose my leg. Well, there was
a mystery about that. We had changed
our time, and passenger train passed my
station at Ia. III. / awoke one night at l
O'Clock feeling that the upper switch had
been left open by the freight train. |
lighted my lantern and ran up tn re- and
sure enoughit stood wide open, and death
trap had been set for the express. | closed
it, and was on my way back when three
cars which had broken away from the
freight several miles away, at the top of a
grade, came whooping down, and. in trying
to get out of the way | made a stumble and
got my leg under the wheels. / dragged
myself into the station and tried to call up
the offices above me, but could raise
no one. The cars were missed,
and hunted Tor from one end of the
line to the other, and, strangely enough,
they could not be found. 1t was an odd
thing to lose cars in that fashion, and before
they got through searching men walked
over every foot of the line. 1t was six
weeks before they were found. They had
left the rails at d curve near a steep bank,
and had gone over the rocks into a deep
river without leaving a trace. 1t was as
if they had been picked up and flung over
by human hands Being loaded with hard
ware, they had gone to the bottom, but the
current rolled them along until they finally
showed above the service in a bend. When
hauled out none of the three were damaged
a cents worth, but it was deal of trouble
to get them back to the rails again"